LGBT asylum seeker reveals trauma of detention in the UK

The harm caused by detention does not end when an individual is released – even after detention people are never feel truly free.

One of those people is David, 49, who arrived in the UK in 2001 after fleeing political persecution and human rights abuses in Kenya.

David is gay – homosexual activity is illegal in Kenya. According to David, even if legislation changes, the Kenyan culture and society will never accept homosexuality. David’s partner left Kenya four years before David did. He came to the UK and has refugee status. Tribal violence is also rife in Kenya, and David’s family belong to a marginalised tribe. His brother was brutally murdered in tribal violence in 2014.

David claimed leave to remain based on family life in 2013, after 11 years of being in the UK. His claim was refused and his appeal dismissed. In 2015, David got a letter to say that, if he is not leaving the country, he must report. He didn’t report and they tracked him down to the address on his Family Life application and detained him.

In a new report the British Red Cross is calling for:

* The process of immigration reporting to be overhauled and replaced with community-based alternatives

* A limit of 28 days on the length of time someone can be detained for – some people have been detained for as long as two years

* An end to the detention of vulnerable people, including pregnant women

The full report can be found here: https://www.redcross.org.uk/-/media/d...

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